The Cockade
by clairlune
Summary: Modern AU: Set in Paris, where everyone is born with a tattoo which matches up with their soul mate. Eponine escapes her parents and befriends the student group known as Les Amis. Believing she has found her soul mate, she joins Les Amis in their plans to overthrow the government... Rated T because Les Amis don't lead a very PG life... Eventual E/E, M/C
1. Prologue

Author Notes: Hey there! This is my first Les Miserables fic. It started off as a one shot concept, but when I sat down to write, it just kept flowing. It is set in modern day Paris, however the monarchy still is there today. If you have any questions relating to any of the history stuff (not so relevant now, but will be in later chapters...) please just shoot me a message! Anyway, thank you for reading!

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Imagine a world where the fates were kind enough to give you a physical indication of whom your soul mate is; a small mark which you are born with, which, as you grow older and shape your character, transforms into a petite tattoo which is a reflection of your humanity. Your destined also bears that same mark. What do you think your mark would be? Would this make finding your one true love easier? You would think so; however that is not always the case. This mark could be anywhere on your body, visible or not depending on your attire. It could be something which you don't entirely understand yourself, therefore you could hide it if you did not wish others to see. It could lead to a case of mistaken identity, where you can see someone else's mark, partially concealed, and believe that it matches your own. This ultimately leads to that tragedy we know as unrequited love, and this is what happened to one person called Éponine Thénardier.

Éponine Thénardier was the eldest daughter of a conman and his wife. She was born with her mark on her right wrist. Under the regime of Louis-Philippe her father was able to take advantage of vulnerable people travelling to the city. He was the leader of an infamous group of criminals known as Le Patron and he oversaw much of the underworld dealings in Paris. As his trade and fortunes flourished, so did Éponine's education. Her father had her enrolled at the best school in Paris and she was an excellent student. It was here where her mark began to take the shape of a cockade of the tricolor. She was passionate about stories and history and the French language, and her feature reflected that.

This changed as she turned 12. There were outbreaks of unrest in border regions, signs of malcontent with the monarchy. While the rebellions were always quickly quashed and violence never reached Paris, the monarchy began to crack down on what it had turned a blind eye to, bringing in a notoriously efficient officer by the name of Javert. As a result Éponine's father lost money and became more desperate to maintain his lifestyle at the expense of his family. Éponine was pulled out of school and home schooled by her mother, which actually meant that she was taught how to break into other people's homes and take what she thought would please her dear papa. As she was exposed to her father's underlings for the first time her cockade began to show some wear and tear. She became hardened and cynical, like a true member of Le Patron. Then she met Montparnasse. He was a younger man, new to the Paris underworld. He was charming and crafty and dark. Éponine's father owed him more money than he would pay him; therefore he traded Éponine to Montparnasse. It was after the first time he hit her that speckles of blood appeared on the cockade.

Eventually she was able to escape to a shelter. From there she was able to make a deal with Javert to help take down Le Patron; Éponine changed her surname to Jondrette and was put up in a safe house and her siblings were put into state care. One day a student moved in across the street, a young man who caught the eye of Éponine. And this is where our story begins.


	2. Chapter 1

Author Note: I'm on a roll tonight so I thought I'd upload the next chapter! For me introductions are always the most difficult part, so please stick with it! Please give me any feedback. Enjoy.

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Eponine had been cooped up in her tiny apartment for nearly a month. Since the conviction of her father and his gang, Le Patron, she had been too scared to wander the streets alone. She was the key witness against them, and was awarded immunity as well as a safe house to live in for her testimony. Unfortunately for her, this safe house was a shoebox of an apartment, in a part of Paris which was inhabited by riff raff and, more recently, students. She knew her father and his gang had eyes everywhere and that she could never fully escape their clutches, even when they were behind bars. Despite her fear for the outside world, Eponine needed to get out. She was starting to go crazy inside these four walls, and she had run out of her staple supplies; chocolate and coffee.

It was a beautiful summer day in Paris; however Eponine left the apartment hidden under a trench coat, news boy cap, and gloves. She knew how to get around unseen. 'If you don't dress like you're trying to attract attention, then you will blend in' her mother's words echoed through her head. She regretfully remembered the time when her school books were traded in for lock picks. Eponine knew all kinds of things you couldn't learn from books of any kind, and while this knowledge was going to keep her alive in this world, she wished she didn't have to use it. She made her purchases at the local store and hurried back to the apartment.

Once safely inside the four walls again, Eponine began the ritual of removing the excess clothing. Whenever she had the big coat and cap on she felt like just another minion of Le Patron. This did not reflect who she wanted to be. The coat belonged to Eponine Thenardier, daughter of a conman. She was now Eponine Jondrette, though she had no idea who that was yet. She removed her gloves and the splash of colour on her right wrist caught her eye. The cockade was there; a constant reminder of the life she was born into, the promise she had shown, the future which was stolen from her, and exactly how little her family had really valued her. She hated her mark. It was there for everyone to see. Most people were born with their mark in places which were not immediately visible for the world to pass judgement on. She was not so lucky. Eponine was never that lucky. She quickly put the gloves back on. It seemed that, unfortunately, the gloves did belong to Eponine Jondrette.

Eponine shook herself out of her current train of thought and made herself a mocha. Her mochas were legendary in the Paris underworld. It was just that right amount of sweetness before that kick of bitter coffee gets you as it goes down. Just like her, the thugs would always say. She took her mug over to the window sill and watched the street below. She loved to watch people come and go, fantasising about the people's lives and dream up scenarios where she would fit in seamlessly into their stories.

She noticed an expensive car pull up across the street. She was never one to notice car brands, but she knew that no one who lived on this street could afford to a car like this. Out of the car stepped an older man in a suit with a cane. He sighed as he took in his surroundings. A younger man stepped out of the other side. Eponine immediately noticed his eyes. They were bright and kind, and just for a moment they met with hers. She was engulfed with this warm feeling she had never felt before. The young man smiled at her and she felt dizzy. Not knowing what to do, she jumped back from the window, out of view, but still within listening distance.

"I don't understand why you would want to give up the luxuries you have at home to live in a place like this, Marius!" the older man stated.

"Grandpa, I need to know what life is like outside the maison walls. You have kept me so sheltered, but now is the time that I must learn about the world, not just from books, but from my own experiences." The younger man, Marius replied. Eponine was highly amused at this remark. He would get an education in this neighbourhood, that's for sure.

This conversation continued on for the better part of an hour, while a removalist truck arrived and Marius and his grandfather supervised furniture and boxes being moved into the building. After one last unsuccessful plea, the grandfather left in his shiny car and Marius closed the door behind him. Moments later he reappeared on the same level as Eponine, in the building across the street. He began to unpack books from boxes. Eponine continued to watch, safely concealed in the shadows of her own apartment. She wondered what his story was, and whether he felt the same warmth she did when he looked at her.

So lost in thought was she that it was barely noticed when he removed his shirt and was left wearing a singlet. Eponine liked her new neighbour, this Marius, very much. She hoped that he was fond of walking about his apartment without the constraints of clothing. It was when he sat in the window sill with his back to the street that she noticed something which drained the blood from her face. Poking out of the top of the singlet was a splash of colour, similar to hers. There was the red from her cockade. It was his mark. His mark which was the same as hers. Eponine ran a cold shower while she conceived a plan to introduce herself to this Marius, her soul mate.


End file.
